The Heart of a Mother
by leighann415
Summary: Set after "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" in S1, a tearful Henry comes to Emma thinking he caused Graham's death. My first OUAT story! And probably not my last! ;)


**Author's Note:** I'm still brand new to OUAT, so I apologize for any inaccuracies or misplaced details. Some of the things mentioned in this story were in BaronessBlixen's wonderful story, "To Move On." This isn't a sequel, but I couldn't help but mention some of the things she did. And obviously, this is set after "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," from Season 1. Enjoy! :) And I'm sure this won't be my last OUAT story as I get more into it. :) Oh, and thanks to Kristen3 for editing a little bit of this too! :) And another note: I realize that Emma does indeed become the new sheriff. :)

* * *

Emma stared in a daze. Graham was dead. It was odd to think about she was feeling this much loss for someone she hardly even knew, but she felt like she lost something very important. _Or __someone,_ she corrected herself.

She didn't even hear the sound of knocking at the door at first. She looked around for Mary Margaret, her roommate, and newfound friend, but she was nowhere to be found. Mary Margaret had been a lifesaver for Emma, in more ways than one. She had just stayed with Emma and been a shoulder to lean on since Graham's death.

Emma slowly walked to the door. She opened it, and there before her stood Henry, his face streaked with tears. News travels fast in a small town, especially a town like Storybrooke. He had obviously heard about Graham.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" Regina would seriously kill Emma if she knew her son came to her.

In a motion that she didn't know she knew she had, she opened her arms, and let Henry walk into them. They stood like that for a few minutes, just hugging each other.

Finally, Emma broke the hug, and led Henry over to the sofa. And suddenly, Emma had a thought. She didn't know her own child very well, but this might be the first time the boy has actually been around death . She hoped she could do the right thing for him.

"I'm so scared, Mom." Henry said in a small voice that wasn't characteristic of him. Emma didn't even flinch when he called her _mom_. In fact, she rather liked hearing it, even considering the circumstances.

"Why are you scared?"

Henry looked down in his lap for a few seconds, and didn't speak. Then, he looked up. "Did I cause Sheriff Graham's death?"

Emma was stunned. Why would he think such a thing? She hated to admit it, but she continued to be amazed at this child that was hers.

"Of course not, Henry. Why do you think that?"

He looked sheepishly at her, like he'd been caught doing something that he shouldn't have. "Because…I showed him my book."

Emma sighed. Henry's famous book of fairytales. He should know that was too old to actually believe in stuff like that. She put her arm around him. "Henry…You know that's just make believe, don't you? There's no way that Snow White is my real mom, and that Operation Cobra is real. You're a very bright boy, and I hate to see you being so caught up in something like this."

Henry looked like he was going to cry again, and that made him look like he was five years old. Emma realized then all that she must've missed by not seeing him grow up. She hoped she could be a part of his life now, if Regina didn't get in the way.

"But Operation Cobra _is_ real…" Emma saw then that Henry actually had his book with him. He brought it out and turned to the page with the Huntsman. It indeed showed a man being stabbed with a knife. And Emma couldn't help but notice that it did look like Graham. But that was all.

"Henry, Graham died of natural causes, totally. You have to believe this wasn't your fault at all." Emma had a plan then. She figured it was time to get rid of some more pages of this book before anything else happened to destroy her son.

She reached for the book, but Henry pulled back. "I'm not taking it away from you. Come on." He reluctantly handed it to her. She tore out the pages of the book with the Huntsman, and went over to the fireplace, where a fire was still burning.

Without ceremony, she tossed the pages into the fire, and watched them burn. She turned back to Henry. "Can't you see this book is dangerous? I hate to take your mother's side, but I don't know why Ms. Blanchard gave this to you." Emma didn't want to blame her friend, but she couldn't help but be concerned.

They sat quietly for a few more minutes, and Henry spoke so softly, Emma could barely hear him. "You should be the new sheriff now, Mom."

Emma pulled back. Emma Swan, sheriff? It was even more unbelievable than Henry's book. "You better not let your mother hear you calling me that," she decided to say. "There's no way I could possibly be sheriff. I could never take Graham's place."

"Well, who's gonna be sheriff then, huh? It needs to be somebody, and it might as well be you."

Emma shook her head. She didn't want to think about this now. "Come on, Henry. We better get you back home before your mother comes after both of us."

"I don't want to go. I don't want to go back there to the Evil Queen's house."

Emma wasn't getting anywhere with him tonight. "Henry, there's no way your mom is the Evil Queen. She may be hard to live with, but that's all. Now, come on." She gently led Henry to the door, but she stopped to write a note to Mary Margaret to say where she was going.

Henry reluctantly got into her trusty yellow Volkswagen. As they drove along in silence, Henry started to get sleepy. The events from the past day were enough to wear anybody down. Herself included.

"There's a blanket there in the car seat if you need it." Emma said.

Henry reached for it and gasped suddenly, which made Emma slam on the brakes. "What is it now?"

Henry held up the blanket. "How did you get this if Operation Cobra isn't real? This is the blanket that Snow White wrapped you in to put you in the wardrobe. It was in the other pages of the book that you burned."

Emma sighed. Why had she followed Henry back to Storybrooke in the first place? She didn't know how she was going to get over this one. If she could, she would drive off with Henry right now, back to Boston, so he wouldn't be so obsessed with such a wild idea again. But Regina definitely wouldn't allow that. She decided to go along with Henry. Maybe that would make him believe fairytales aren't real.

"OK, Henry. Maybe you're right. Maybe Operation Cobra is real. This town does have some pretty unbelievable characters in it." That was true. Emma couldn't believe some of the people in this town.

In the rearview mirror, Emma could see that Henry's face was lighting up. "Isn't there a saying, 'seeing is believing?'"

She had to give him credit for that one. "Yes, there is. But you also shouldn't believe everything you see, or read. Not everything is the truth."

"We learned that in school." Henry said matter-of-factly.

Emma wouldn't trade these moments with her son for anything. Whether or not his Operation Cobra idea made any sense, she loved her son.

"Henry, I love you. I really do. I always have. I wasn't ready to be a mother when I had you. And for that reason, I'm glad Regina stepped in and was ready to take on all the responsibilities of raising a kid. And I hope I can be a part of your life. But I'm not about to do anything that would corrupt your childhood."

From the silence in the backseat, she knew he would see it her way eventually. "I'm not going anywhere right now, Henry. I don't have to become sheriff just to be near you."

When Henry didn't say anything else, Emma started her car back up, and continued on to his house. She wasn't going to go in, but just drop Henry off at the curb.

Watching him go, she let out the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding in, probably since Graham's death. She would forever be grateful for knowing Graham in the short time that she did. She couldn't help but think that if he had lived, she would be in a longer-term relationship than she's ever had. But she couldn't continue to think about that. She needed to brush off the grief, and move on. If not for her, than for the person that was most important to her now. A little boy named Henry.

**The End**


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